


Before Barry met Len

by grimmfairy



Series: Dogs Allowed [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, M/M, Pre-Coldflash, Pre-Relationship, Service Dogs, extra scenes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-16 18:50:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7280521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grimmfairy/pseuds/grimmfairy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Extra scenes not in Dogs Allowed. Each chapter could probably be read alone but will make more sense if you read the main fic first. This will not necessarily happen in chronological order, but they all happen before the events of Dogs Allowed.</p><p>1. When Barry met Irwin<br/>2. (Coming soon) Mick catches Papa Snart in the act</p>
            </blockquote>





	Before Barry met Len

**Author's Note:**

> Joe takes Barry to meet a service dog that is his ideal choice of companion for Barry: no shedding, incredibly intelligent, fully trained. Barry's not so sure.

Barry stared sullenly out the window of Joe's car. He didn't want to be here, not on such a beautiful sunny day. But Joe had insisted that he couldn't keep skipping his therapy sessions so he compromised. Joe had been hinting not-so-subtly that he thought a service dog would help him with his "episodes" and if getting some dog would get Joe to back off on the number of therapy sessions he was forced to attend, then he would do it. The shelter Joe was driving to was over an hour outside of Central City, and the entire ride had been quiet and tense. They pulled up to a large facility with little landscape beyond the fenced in play areas and training courts, and a few dogs of varying breeds could be seen frolicking around and being walked. According to the internet, it was a shelter that specialized in rescuing dogs on death row and training them to be service animals. They often worked with veterans with PTSD, which was probably how Joe had found the place. Barry sighed, he was so tired of trying to be normal. He could barely set foot outside his (Joe's) house without working himself up over how broken he must appear to those around him, what they must think of him.

"I'm sorry," Barry said quietly before Joe could get out of the car. Joe paused, then twisted in his seat to get a better look at Barry. He was thin, thinner than usual, and his eyes were ringed by dark circles. He had tried different medications, but he was one of the unlucky ones that seemed to suffer from the side effects that were supposed to be rare. So far, Barry felt like all he was doing was trying to hold himself together. He wasn't improving, or getting better. He was stuck.

"You don't have to be sorry, I know I came on pretty strong about this whole thing," Joe sighed. "I just want what's best for you, son."

"I know," Barry said, and he tried to smile. "I know that. I just...I want to be okay. I want to be me."

"And you will be, Bear," Joe said, putting his hand on Barry's shoulder. "It's okay to admit you need help getting there."

Barry nodded. He steeled himself and then opened the car door.

* * *

"This is Lucy. She's a four-year-old purebred standard poodle that we've been training for over a year," The trainer was saying. His name was Brian.

Barry nodded, and to feel more... _anything_ , really, towards this dog. She was a dark chestnut color with pretty brown eyes and curly hair that was trimmed professionally. She was soft to the touch and could do many helpful things on command. Brian assured them that Lucy was trained to deal with panic attacks and depression, and she could easily learn to do any tasks that were specific to Barry's needs. But she was just so... _wrong_. Joe was singing her praises with the trainer, and he could tell that they were trying to make him feel better, but it wasn't working. So he tried to force himself to feel better, to connect with her. He took her leash and walked around with her, and when Brian took off her harness to show her off-duty personality Barry tried to play with her. But the effort of trying to force himself to bond with this dog was making him agitated, and Lucy could clearly sense his mood, as could Joe. Finally, Brian decided enough was enough.

"I can see you're trying, Barry, but that's the problem," He said understandingly. "You want this to work, and you're trying to force it. Getting a service dog shouldn't have to be forced. They are there to help you, and in order to do their job to the best of their abilities you need to connect with them so that you can trust them, and they can trust you."

"I know, I just-" Barry hung his head. He was close to tears, and so embarrassed. Joe had driven them out here for nothing. 

Brian looked hard at the young man before him. He didn't always know the details of why someone needed one of his dogs, but Barry Allen was somewhat of an exception. His had been a relatively major news story a year ago, and though it had mostly faded, he remembered some of the details. Joe had asked him for a dog to help Barry, to be his assistant. But what Barry needed was a _companion_. Lucy was too highly trained, too detached for Barry. Then again, Lucy's training had been very specific.

"You know, I think I have the perfect dog for you if you're willing to do some of the training yourself. It will require you to meet here with me at least once a week for a few months, and you'll have to practice on your own time between. But I think this could work for you," Brian said. Barry looked at him with such guarded hope in his eyes that Brian knew he was on the right track. He had seen a very similar look before in a sad puppy that didn't understand why it was left behind as each littermate was adopted.

"If you're sure..." Barry said, unwilling to get his hopes up again. Joe nodded at Brian, who disappeared back into the kennel.

"Are you really sure you want to do this?" Joe asked. Barry wasn't exactly great with being in public and training a dog was going to be stressful. Stress was also something that Barry sometimes had trouble with. The smallest thing could set him off. 

"I do have all of this paid leave," Barry shrugged. "And I haven't sighed a contract or something. I just want to see all of my options."

The door to the room they were sitting in opened and Brian appeared holding a leash. The dog that was being lead in was shorter and more broad-chested. The dark black fur was patched with bluish merle areas, and the wide head had two largish pointy ears standing at attention. 

"This is Irwin," Brian said. "He's been through obedience school and some training for panic attacks but he's highly intuitive so I've held off on completing the rest of training until we met the right handler."

Brian let go of the leash so Irwin could explore the room at his leisure. He wasn't a registered service animal yet and so he wasn't wearing a service harness for the meeting. Instead of sniffing around the room like most dogs would have, Irwin trotted over to where Barry was sitting and promptly sat down and placed his head on Barry's knee. Barry hesitantly reached out to pet the soft fur of his head, and visibly relaxed when Irwin leaned into the touch with a dopey doggy smile. Without thinking, Barry slid off the chair to crouch in front of Irwin.

"What breed is that?" Joe said, already envisioning the amount of dog fur he was going to have to vacuum up. 

"As far as we can tell, he's a mix of Australian shepherd and Australian cattle dog," Brian answered, watching the way Irwin had now started nosing at Barry's chin. "I found him at six months old in a high kill shelter. I took him back here and started basic training. He's highly intelligent, very loyal, and he can be trained to specifically suit Barry's needs. He also sheds non-stop and can be stubborn."

Barry looked into Irwin's eyes and the dog looked back at him. This was the one. Joe inwardly sighed, he knew that look. It was the look Barry got when he had set his mind to a difficult task and wouldn't be dissuaded. 

"How do you feel, Barry?" Brian asked, already certain of the answer. Barry looked up at him.

"I feel better," He said quietly. "Can I...can I take him for a walk?"

Irwin's head twitched comically to the side. 

Brian smiled.

"If you're certain, we can have our first training session today."

Barry looked over at Joe. Joe looked at Barry, then the dog that had more or less colonized Barry's personal space. The fur was already showing on Barry's clothes where Irwin was pressed against him. 

"Alright."

"Let's get started then," Brian said. "Both breeds in his lineage are famous for bonding almost exclusively with one person above all others. Looks like you are that person."

Barry smiled, a real full smile, and rubbed behind Irwin's ears. 

"What do I need to sign?"

 

 

 


End file.
